Africa Vehicle Registration Codes
The country in which a motor vehicle's vehicle registration plate was issued may be indicated by an international licence plate country code, formerly known as an International Registration Letter or International Circulation Mark. It is referred to as the Distinguishing sign of the State of registration in the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968.
The allocation of codes is maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as the Distinguishing Signs Used on Vehicles in International Traffic (sometimes abbreviated to DSIT), authorised by the UN's Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Many vehicle codes created since the adoption of ISO 3166 coincide with ISO two- or three-letter codes. The 2004 South-East Asian Agreement ... for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People uses a mixture of ISO and DSIT codes: Myanmar uses MYA, China CHN, and Cambodia KH (ISO codes), Thailand uses T (DSIT code), Laos LAO, and Vietnam VN (coincident ISO and DSIT codes).
The Geneva Convention on Road Traffic entered into force on 26 March 1952. One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. When driving in other signatory countries, the distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign must be placed separately from the registration plate and may not be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.
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Current Code(s) | Country | From | Previous Code(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
BF | Burkina Faso | 1990 | RHV / HV | Until August 2003, 1984; (République de) Haute Volta (Upper Volta) |
BW | Botswana | 2003 | BP | Officially used by Botswana since 2003. Formerly RB (Republic of Botswana) until 2004. Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate |
CAM | Cameroon | 1952 | F & WAN | Formerly a territory of France, plus a strip of territory from eastern Nigeria (WAN). Unofficially using CMR on their plates. |
CI | Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) | 1961 | F | Formerly a territory of France |
CV | Cape Verde | - | - | - |
DJI* | Djibouti | - | F | - |
DY | Benin | 1910 | Part of AOF (Afrique occidentale française) − 1960 | Dahomey (name until 1975). Uses RB unofficially (République du Bénin) |
DZ | Algeria | 1962 | F − 1911 | Djazayer (Algerian Arabic); Formerly part of France |
EAK | Kenya | 1938 | - | East Africa Kenya |
EAT | Tanzania | 1938 | EAT & EAZ | East Africa Tanzania; formerly East Africa Tanganyika and East Africa Zanzibar |
EAU | Uganda | 1938 | - | East Africa Uganda |
EAZ | Zanzibar | 1964 | - | East Africa Zanzibar |
ER | Eritrea | 1993 | AOI | Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian) |
ET | Egypt | 1927 | - | - |
ETH | Ethiopia | 1964 | AOI − 1941 | Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian) |
G | Gabon | 1974 | ALEF − 1960 | Afrique Équatoriale Française. Unofficially using RG on their license plates. |
GH | Ghana | 1959 | WAC − 1957 | West Africa Gold Coast − 1957 |
GQ* | Equatorial Guinea | - | - | Guinée Équatoriale |
LAR | Libya | 1972 | I − 1949, LT | Libyan Arab Republic |
LB | Liberia | 1967 | - | - |
LS | Lesotho | 1967 | BL | Basutoland − 1966 |
MA | Morocco | 1924 | - | Maroc (French) |
MOC | Mozambique | 1975 | MOC: 1932–56, P: 1957–75 | Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese) |
MS | Mauritius | 1938 | - | - |
MW | Malawi | 1965 | EA 1932–38, NP – 1938–70, RNY option 1960–65 | Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate |
NAM | Namibia | 1990 | SWA | Formerly South West Africa |
RCA | Central African Republic | 1962 | - | République Centrafricaine (French) |
RCB | Republic of the Congo | 1962 | - | République du Congo Brazzaville (French). Unofficially and illegally using RC on their plates. |
RG | Guinea | 1972 | - | République de Guinée (French). Also used illegally by Gabon. |
RIM | Mauritania | 1964 | - | République islamique de Mauritanie (French) |
RM | Madagascar | 1962 | - | République de Madagascar (French) |
RMM | Mali | 1962 | AOF − 1960 | République du Mali (French). Formerly part of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française) |
RN | Niger | 1977 | AOF − 1960 | République du Niger (French). Formerly part of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française) |
RU | Burundi | 1962? | - | Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates. |
RWA | Rwanda | 1964 | RU − 1962 | Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962 |
SD | Eswatini | 1935 | - | Formerly Swaziland |
SN | Senegal | 1962 | - | - |
SO | Somalia | 1974 | - | - |
STP* | Sao Tome and Principe | 1975 | P | São Tomé and Príncipe |
SUD | Sudan | 1963 | - | - |
SY | Seychelles | 1938 | - | - |
TCH, TD | Chad | 1973 | - | Tchad (French) |
TG | Togo | 1973 | - | - |
TN | Tunisia | 1957 | F − 1956 | Formerly a territory of France |
WAG | Gambia | 1932 | - | West Africa Gambia |
WAL | Sierra Leone | 1937 | - | West Africa Sierra Leone; on local licence plates SLE is used |
WAN | Nigeria | 1937 | - | West Africa Nigeria |
WSA* | Western Sahara | 1932 | - | Western Sahara |
Z | Zambia | 1964 | RNR | Formerly Northern Rhodesia. However, "ZM" is used on current driving licences. |
ZA | South Africa | 1936 | - | Zuid-Afrika (from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is Suid-Afrika) |
ZRE | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1997 | CB, RCL, CGO | Congo Belge (French), République de Congo Léopoldville (French), Congo (Kinshasa), Zaïre, République Démocratique du Congo (French) |
ZW | Zimbabwe | 1980 | SR, RSR | Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980 |
* - unofficial code.